A New Life
by bsgroxmysox
Summary: Laura and Bill's lives changed over the year on New Caprica and they now must adjust to their new life after the exodus. A/N: Set during Season 3 and the missing year on New Caprica
1. Chapter 1

The memories came flooding back to her as she stood beside Lee in the press room aboard Colonial One. The podium, which she had stood behind many times and where on one frightening occasion she found herself surrounded by a dozen snakes, still stood tall and proud just like the office it represented. The thin curtain that separated this room from the private office of the president still hung in exactly the same way as she remembered. The press, in their same seats, were still as eager as ever to get a story. Even if they had lost a few members during the -

No Laura, she chastised herself, you can't think about that right now. Except it was all she could think about. How different things were now compared to the last time she stood here. Gods, they had lost so many. And now here was Tom Zarek explaining what had transpired with the government in the past few days.

Lee stood beside her; his shoulders slightly slumped in a posture he had adopted since the Pegasus was lost. She'd seen her Captain Apollo display many emotions but to see him broken like this hurt her. As it was surely hurting Bill as well.

Where was Bill? Yes, they'd had an argument about this decision but she really thought he would make the effort to come today.

Tom Zarek was finishing up his speech as a few members of the press tried to wake themselves up from their boredom induced snoozes.

"... and now sworn in as President only an hour ago, President Adama ladies and gentlemen."

The room erupted in polite applause many too groggy from just waking to join in the clapping. Lee stood to attention and went to move forward. Laura put a hand on his arm to stop him moving away. She lent in to whisper so no-one else could hear.

"Lee – I know you're not feeling on top of the world right now. Thank you for being here." She pulled back to smile up at him, her heart leaping at the sight of a half smile on his face. She released his arm so he could continue to move forward allowing her to pass him on her way to the podium.

She settled her hands on each side of the podiums frame, savouring the familiar feel under her fingers. Lifting her head to peer at the crowd she took a deep breath to begin the newest chapter of her life.

"Thank you all for being here. As Mr. Zarek mentioned an hour ago I was once again sworn in as president and my first act is to nominate my candidate for vice presidency Mr. Tom Zarek." She ignored the murmurs that built up at her last statement and carried on in a slightly louder voice, one she recognised as her teacher voice.

"A vote will take place when we reconvene the Quorum next week after new representatives to replace people lost on New Caprica, have been nominated." At this she did falter a slight break in her voice notable. Pushing a piece of auburn hair behind her ear she continued.

"Of course there have been a number of changes since the last time I held this office, least of all my surname". This earned her a chorus of chuckles from the room and from the corner of her eye she once again saw Lee's small smile. "This will include a few notable adjustments: my primary residence will be on the Galactica and I will return to Colonial One only for quorum meetings and of course any time I am addressing you the press. I understand there may be some questions raised regarding this unique situation but I can assure the Admiral and I, my husband and I, will remain as professional as ever when dealing with issues of the fleet. Nothing is more important to either of us than that of the safety of this fleet". With a final look around the room Laura released the podium and took a step back.

"That is all for now". The last word was drowned out by a chorus of people shouting "Madame President" at her as she swept from the room, closely followed by Lee and Zarek.


	2. Chapter 2

16 months previously

_Bill arrived back from his shift at CIC to find the president sitting on his couch. The former president, he reminded himself. Laura raised her head from the book in front of her, a small smile adorning her face. His eyes travelled her from head to toe. Her hair was pulled back for the first time since he met her and a figure hugging green shirt was un-tucked from her skirt, which was pulled tight as her legs curled up under her and her shoes were abandoned by the chair. That's when Bill noticed the bag._

"_I didn't know where else to go" Laura said, the smile that greeted him now replaced by a worried grimace. _

"_You're always welcome here Laura. Please don't forget that." Bill began to undo the buttons on his tunic as he sat beside her. "I forgot that the election result meant a change of address for you." He regretted saying it the minute he saw the frown flutter across her face. "At least now I get to spend more time with my friend. I won't have the quorum stealing you away every few minutes."He hoped he successfully managed a change in the atmosphere, but noticed her eyes had glassed over with unshed tears and she bit back a sob. He pulled her to him and held her as she silently shook. When she began to relax he drew back slightly and brushed his thumb over the damp cheek. _

"_Thank you Bill. I'll find suitable quarters soon, but Baltar decided to move in a little early." Her declaration was no more than a breathy whisper, her voice lost after crying so much._

"_You'll stay here as long as you need or want Laura, is that understood?" Bill tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, this was after all partly his fault. He could have let her steal that election and she wouldn't be this emotional wreck now, however that decision itself would have consequences on Laura's emotions. But she was here now and he would do his best to make her feel at home and forget the mess that the last of humanity had gotten them into._

_New Caprica: a barely habitable planet everyone was dying to settle on not knowing how the terrain would provide for them and who knew what kind of weather was to be expected when living there. Bill released a sigh at the thought of the people who voted for the mad scientist instead of the beautiful and capable red head that was sitting beside him._

_At his sigh Laura reached up and ran a hand from his brow to his cheek and Bill's eyes closed involuntarily. They sat like that for a while, her stroking his cheek with her thumb and his arm around her resting on the small of her back from their earlier embrace. Laura was the one to finally break the comfortable silence._

"_I'm rather tired after the move and you had a long shift in CIC so we should call it a night. And before you argue I'll sleep on the couch, I already found a spare blanket and you will probably need a good night's sleep." She punctuated her statement by running her hand back up through his hair and let it slide along his shoulder finally patting his bicep and moving away. _

_Bill felt every nerve ending alight after her small touches as he remained motionless, watching her unfold the blanket she would be using and adjusting herself to lay down on the other side of the couch. Without thinking he stood up and crossed the small distance from one end of the couch to the other. Gazing down into her emerald eyes he lent forward and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead._

"_Goodnight Laura." he murmured and as quickly as he had moved in, he had walked away and began to climb into his rack. Just as sleep seemed to take over he heard her faint reply._

"_Goodnight Bill."_


	3. Chapter 3

The mumblings of the press still reverberated around her office as the three occupants sat in silence.

"That went well, all things considered." It was Zarek who finally broke the silence. Laura was at a loss for words. Yes the press conference had gone well but she still had left them with unanswered questions and why had Bill not been there?

"Madame President your shuttle is ready." Tory interrupted Laura's musings.

"Thank you Tory, Commander I assume you'll be travelling back to Galactica also?"

"Yes Madame President I will be and I no longer command a battlestar, its Major Adama now." Any smile Laura had managed to pull from him earlier was gone now and the beaten—down posture had returned.

"Well it looks like my knowledge on military protocol has failed me again, Major. Do you have any idea where I can find a good Military Advisor?" Laura was almost considering a career change when she heard the young Adama's laugh. Cheering people up was turning out to be her strong point today.

Laura bid farewell to Tom promising to return for the Quorum vote on his vice presidency in 2 days. She was still angry with him for the tribunal incident but the fleet needed to move on and there were more pressing matters at hand. The raptor ride home was short and quiet, giving Laura more time to prepare the speech she had ready for the Admiral when she got back to their quarters. _Their_ quarters. Just thinking that put a smile on her face and any anger she had felt towards Bill's behaviour evaporated. But the memory of the argument still lingered.

_That morning_

"_Come on say it, you don't think I should be president. Come on Bill say what you mean! After all I'm still just a frakking school teacher."_

"_Laura you know that's not what I meant." Their volume was increasing by the second as this went from a diplomatic conversation to an all out war. _

"_Would you rather Tom Zarek as president? Bill you've seen the mess he's gotten us into already with that tribunal!"_

"_Why does it have to be you Laura?" He had stopped yelling and his pacing had been halted. _

"_I'm sorry I didn't realise you had other candidates." He moved as if to reply but she cut him off again. "I _will _take the oath of office again today Bill and I'll announce it to the press at 1400 sharp. Please be there." With that she turned and left their quarters. _

_Bill sighed and flopped into the nearest chair. _

"_Frak."_

She said her goodbyes to Lee on the hanger deck and began to make her way through the maze of Galactica's hallways. Leaving her security detail outside, Laura closed the hatch and removed her shoes releasing a sigh of relief as she did so.

"Long day?" A voice rumbled from beside the Admiral's desk. Bill stood beside the desk a stack of reports in one hand and his glasses folded in the other. As he placed the reports on the desk he picked up a tumbler of water and began to sip from it.

"You could say that. Just became the president again." She gave a soft laugh noticing he didn't share her amusement at her own joke. "Only water?" At her question he knocked back the remainder of the glass and set it back on the table. Keeping his eyes on the jug as he filled up another glass he replied.

"Ya, I wanted a clear head. You see, I didn't show up to something today and I may have made my wife mad. I'm hoping water will result in a discussion rather than a fight." Only when he finished talking did he look up to make eye contact.

"You make a very good argument sir. Your wife is a lucky woman, a _very_ lucky woman." She took a breath before continuing on. "I just wish you had been there to show that you support this decision. That you support me."

He crossed the room in a few short strides, discarding his glasses and water on a shelf along the way. Stopping just inches from her, he reached out pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I was worried, still am, that you becoming president will interfere with us personally. It's going to be harder for us now. But that never meant that I don't support you. I will always support you. Standing up in front of the press today, they would be taking pictures, questioning every little thing we do and say and I just need a little more time adjusting to that. OK?"

He amazed her. How had she gone from formulating a strong decisive argument outside the hatch to a quivering mess like she was now, just from a small touch and the feel of his breath across her skin? She could only hum in response.

"I was wrong and you were right." Bill bent forward after saying this but Laura pulled away stunned.

I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Her eyes were wide with astonishment at his confession and she thought maybe some chamalla was left in her system to bring on such hallucinations.

"I was wrong and you were right." He said again, smiling

"That is something every wife wants to hear." Laura giggled and returned his smile brightly.

"I was wrong and you were right." His voice had become much lower and this time as he lent forward she didn't pull away, just wrapped her arms around him tightly as his lips slanted over hers and he pulled her body flush against his. The comm suddenly buzzed interrupting their private embrace.

"And so it begins." He said as he let her step out of his hold and reached for the comm. "Adama, Go."


	4. Chapter 4

_The past few weeks had been sheer bliss. Somewhere between the end of the worlds and this hellhole of a planet Bill had found his soul mate. The woman occupied his thoughts all day, whether he was in CIC or another gods awful meeting with President Baltar and his ground survey team. No matter how many ways they looked at it, living on this planet was going to be rough. But Bill could only focus on one thing – Laura. _

_She had stayed on his couch that first night and hadn't left his quarters yet. The pretence of finding suitable guest quarters was kept only for appearances, neither really wanting to leave the others company. _

_In the evenings they would sit side by side and read, sometimes discussing themes they found in Bill's many books and sometimes reminiscing about things they missed in New Caprica. Bill was delighted to hear of Laura's affection for the fountain in the Caprica City park and marvelled at the giggle she let slip when he told her how he loved to make up stories about people passing on the street. _

_He had to admit to himself that she hadn't just moved into his quarters, but had firmly taken up residence in his heart. When or how, he was going to admit that to her, he wasn't sure. Gods did she feel the same? If she even returned half of the love he felt for her he was a lucky man. _

"_I've got the command Bill. You go on and get some rest." Bill flashed a quizzical gaze to his XO as Tigh continued. "We're herding the first of the civilians down tomorrow. Or did you forget?" The Colonel laughed aloud at the look on Bills face. _

"_That's tomorrow? Frak, I can feel the headache already. Thanks Saul." Bill patted his friend on the shoulder as he passed him, exiting CIC. _

_Bills hurried footsteps echoed along Galactica's corridors as he raced home. Locking the hatch behind him he spun around to find Laura already fast asleep on the couch, the blanket resting loosely around her waist. The book they had been reading the night before sat on the table, remaining open on the chapter they had last been discussing. He glanced at the clock that stood behind what was now Laura's bed. _

_Surely it wasn't that late? No wonder she was already asleep. Battling with his disappointment after missing a chance to talk to her again, Bill pulled the blanket up to cover her fully, tucking it in under her shoulders. _

"_Bill..."_

"_Shhhh... Laura go back to sleep."_

"_It's late." Gods damn it she was beautiful, even when she was so groggy with sleep she couldn't even open her eyes._

"_I know I'm sorry. Go back to sleep."_

"_I didn't continue on in the book." Seven simple words broke his heart and mended it back together. He couldn't keep the smile from breaking across his face even if he wanted to. _

"_Thank you Laura. Go to sleep, we can read some more tomorrow."_

"_Kay." And with that sleep claimed her once more. Bill didn't dare risk waking her again so gingerly made his way across the room to feel the comfort of sleep himself. He would in fact find comfort in the best night's sleep he ever had; sweet dreams of a new life with Laura filling his mind. Spending days just reading to each other and taking walks by fountains, letting their feet play in the water while they created back stories for the strangers that surrounded them. _

_x_

"_Bill...Bill..._BILL!" _Bill turned over in his rack, not ready to part with the sweet images in his mind just yet. _

"_Admiral Adama you need to get up." The blanket fell from his chest and pooled at his waist as Bill sat upright, suddenly very much awake. "I'm... eh... sorry, it's just that...ummm... you need to... civilians... today... preparations..." Laura's voice trailed off and Bill noticed a flush creep up her neck to become an all out blush on her beautiful cheeks. Looking down he realised he had opted to forgo the tanks in bed last night and the former president was ogling his torso. There was no other word for it, she was ogling!_

"_Thank you. I was so fast asleep, I'm usually a much lighter sleeper but for some..." he trailed off as Laura nodded, turned and briskly walked into the head, closing the hatch behind her. Bill rushed to dress whilst she was in there, to save any further embarrassment between them. Although to see that blush again would be nice he had to admit. _

_He was finishing his morning coffee when she finally emerged from the head, also dressed. Seeing as she had nowhere to really go these days, she had swapped the power suits for some more casual clothes. Some had been found by Tory and some, like today's ensemble, was from Bill's own wardrobe. A set of old tanks and comfortable jogging pants that seemed to be floating on her, adorned her slim frame. Now who's the one blushing Bill, he reprimanded himself. _

"_I'll see you later; maybe we can finish that book?" Bill said all this with his back to her to try and hide his discomfort._

"_I'd like that." Her voice had regained some of its usual strength after her incoherent mess earlier. Bill nodded and began to make his way out of the hatch._

"_Bill you forgot something" Her voice called out from the back of the room and Bill spun around making his way back to her, trying to remember what files he had left on his desk. _

"_I'm sorry there are so many different reports flying around about down there I lose track sometimes. What one did I-" He stopped mid sentence when he noticed there were no folders in her hands. She stepped closer, inches separating them and Bill felt all the breath leave his body. She smiled at his reaction and lifted up on her toes._

_Her lips brushed across his lightly, almost reminiscent of their first kiss until Bill felt her tongue slide along his lips. He groaned at the feeling and she pounced on the opportunity to taste him fully. _

_His arms wrapped around her waist instinctively and he began to rub small circles on her back. Her own hands were resting on his chest, just below his shoulders, the feel of her fingers burning through his uniform until her was sure they were going to scar. _

_They pulled away slowly and Bill opened his eyes to memorise everything about this moment. The way her eyelashes were fluttering, that smile that seemed to light up even the darkest room and the way her lips were still slightly puckered as if asking to be kissed again._

_He did just that, bending forward to press a quick kiss there once more. She hummed as he pulled away again. _

"_How could I forget something like that?" Bill finally spoke when his surroundings seemed to come back into focus. _

"_I don't know Admiral, but don't let it happen again." She reached behind her to grasp some folders on the desk, folders Bill recognised as containing the list of the first batch of civilians to leave for New Caprica. _

"_You're always looking out for me." He couldn't resist it and bowed forward for another chaste kiss. Laughing she pushed the files into his hands._

"_Admiral you are going to be late!"_

"_Alright, alright, I promise we'll finish that book when I get back." The thought of leaving her after what had just transpired angered him, but duty before self was his motto. With that he moved away and out the hatch not turning around for fear he'd never leave with one more glance at the goddess he just left._


	5. Chapter 5

_The room was dark but the figure of Laura Roslin could still be made out lying on the floor. Her hair fanned out around her bruised face and blood trickled down from a minor head wound. The door creaked open and light flooded the tiny room. A One, Three and Six entered the room, surrounding the former president. _

"_Do we really need to go through this again Laura?" the Three sneered. _

_Laura could only reply with a whimper. She screamed as she tried to roll over to look at her intruders, causing a pain to shoot up her side. _

"_Earth, Laura? The Dying Leader will lead the people to Earth. Where is it?" This last question was punctuated with a kick to her ribs from the One. Laura curled into a ball and whimpered as she tried to ride out the pain. _

"_I don't know. Please...stop." Her pleas were met with more kicks and eventually her words turned to cries, she no longer had the ability to form coherent sentences._

"_She doesn't know anything. She's useless to us." The Six turned her back on the woman on the floor and exited the room. Three and One shared a glance as Three pulled a gun from her pocket. _

"_Bill..." His name was a soft whisper as Laura watched as Three pointed and aimed the gun directly at Laura's head. _

"_Your husband abandoned you Laura. Remember?" The One had a large smile on his face as he told her this. _

"_He left you to die alone Laura." Three said as she pulled the trigger. _

Bill gasped as he sat upright in the rack. Sweat was covering his face and dripped down onto his bare chest. He ran his hand through his hair trying to get his breath back. A hand slid up his back and began to rub small circles along his shoulder blades.

"Another dream?" Her voice was just as it had been in his nightmare, soft and melodic. A sweeter sound than any he had ever heard before. He only nodded in response as tears began to mix with the sweat on his face. He felt her sit up and place a kiss on his shoulder.

"I'm right here Bill. I'm right here." The words were murmured into his back as she placed another kiss there. At her words he turned and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Her arms wrapped around him soothing him as she had done every night that he had woken up like this. They remained wrapped in each other until his back began to protest from the awkward position. Pulling away he smiled at her, happiness radiating through him at the sight of her alive and in his arms.

"I'm sorry I woke you again." She laughed off his apology and pressed her lips to his brow.

"You never need to apologise, besides" she glanced to the clock beside the bed, "we have a meeting in an hour we should be getting ready for.

"Seeing as I woke you again, you get to use the head first."

"Seeing as you woke me again, how about we share?" She smirked at him and slipped out of the bed, sashaying her hips as she strolled to the head.

X

An hour later they stood on either side of Gaeta as he explained what he had found in Baltar's research.

"I've been trying to reassemble President Bal- Doctor Baltar's work on piecing together the thirteenth tribe's path to earth and..." The slip didn't go unnoticed by Laura.

"I'm curious Mr. Gaeta what is it you trust about Dr. Baltar's research? How do you not know it's another one of his lies?"

"If there was one thing I learnt about Baltar it was his extraordinary capacity for self preservation. I think he wanted to find earth cos _he _wanted to get there"

"How far did he get with his research?" Laura moved behind Gaeta as he continued to explain what Baltar was working on. Bill found it difficult to focus on what Gaeta was saying; mostly he let his mind wander back to their room this morning and the joy he found in the domesticity of sharing a shower with her. He could still feel her smooth skin beneath his hands and feel the water drip from her hair onto his shoulders as he lavished her with kisses. Bill was struggling to listen to what Gaeta was saying until her brought something interesting to his attention.

"Why the scrolls of Pythia?" It was the first time Bill had spoken since entering the room.

"Pythia was supposed to have chronicled the original journey of the thirteenth tribe on its way to earth." Laura said looking up at him as she was explaining and judging from the small smile she wore, she knew where his mind had been. Gaeta, taking notice of the palpable tension between the two leaders, spoke up.

"If I can draw your attention to this passage 'and the caravan of the heavens was watched over by a great lion, with a mighty blinking eye...'"

"Red and blue." Bill read aloud with Gaeta, feeling more and more confused with everything this boy was saying.

"Exactly."

"Exactly what? We're looking for a Lions head?" Bill's patience was begging to wane.

"With a mighty blinking eye." Laura smirked at him as she quoted the passage. Gaeta continued explaining, pulsars and radio waves, and now suddenly it was beginning to make sense.

"We have never had a direct look at this nebula but it is possible with a couple of eyeballs out there, they might look at the nebula and see..."

"A giant lions head." It finally made sense to Bill. Although he didn't hold much faith in the scrolls, his wife did, and that was all that mattered.

"Well it looks like this is the best thing going, so unless you object Admiral, I suggest we go Lion Hunting." Bill couldn't help the raucous laugh he burst into. Laura soon joined adding her own harmony of giggles at her statement. Gaeta merely stood staring at the couple marvelling at their sudden light-heartedness.

"Thank you Mister Gaeta." Bill nodded at the young man as soon as he got his breath back. He offered Laura his arm and she clasped his forearm as they left the room.

"Earth Bill, Gods it feels so close." She was smiling now at the thought of leading her people home. Her hand that was now resting in the crook of his elbow, slid down his arm to intertwine with his fingers. Public displays of affection weren't usually Laura's thing, being president she needed to keep a level of decorum but Bill's dreams were becoming more frequent, and a small bit of comfort to her husband was allowed. They continued holding hands as they made their way back to their quarters.

Pilots and various members of the crew wandered the corridors with them, many snapping off a salute to their commanding officer as they passed. A group of pilots, many of whom Laura recognised jogged passed them talking animatedly, not taking notice of Bill or Laura. The one Laura knew to be Racetrack was talking to another female pilot that Laura had a bit more trouble recalling. Kat was her name. Laura smiled to herself. Bill had taught her his trick to remembering names and she was glad to see it was helping her.

"Did you hear Tigh? Apparently 'cos they were down on New Caprica they suffered more. What, like we didn't sweat it out up here or risk our lives trying to rescue them?" Kat's voice was raised in anger as she continued talking to Racetrack. "And did you see the reaction when they gave Sharon the new call sign?"

"We just have to put up with it Kat." Racetrack replied. "And Athena can handle herself."

The rest of the conversation was lost to Laura's ears as the pilots turned a corner. She tilted her head to look at Bill and judging by his face he had heard the conversation too.

"What did they mean about the Colonel?" Laura asked as they stepped over the threshold to their quarters.

"I've heard some things about his behaviour since he's been back. Helo will be by in a moment and I'll ask him what he's heard." He sighed as he reluctantly released her hand.

"If he's bothering pilots Bill something has to be done." She didn't want to push it too hard, knowing how close the two men were.

"He's been through a lot. He lost a wife. I don't want to think about what he must be going through." Her heart swelled for love after his admission. Gods she didn't know what she'd do in Tigh situation either.

"We're on the run again Bill. We don't have time to let people grieve as normal. Gods believe me I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you, but we have to get this fleet to Earth. Look at me." He turned slowly gaze gliding from her toes up her body until finally meeting her eyes.

"We have to get to Earth." She ran her thumb along his bottom lip and the breath caught in her throat as he kissed the digit ever so slightly. She moved closer and replaced the thumb with her lips as she tried to kiss away all his insecurities.

"I love you." She whispered just as a knock at the hatch interrupted them. "I'll be in the back with some paperwork, you talk with Helo and then you should talk with Saul." She moved away only to be stopped by a hand on her arm.

"I love you too." With that he turned and went to open the hatch to discuss matters with Helo.

X

"A loaded gun Bill really? I know I wanted you to talk to him but asking him and Starbuck to shoot you, what were you thinking?" Her anger radiated from every pore in her body and she paced the length of the room.

"Laur-"

"What if one of them had done it Bill huh? They're both pretty unstable at the moment, what if one of them just snapped and shot you?" He moved to speak again but she still kept her rant going.

"I'm sure President Adama would spill some crap about keeping the fleet together and moving on towards Earth but to be perfectly honest Bill, Laura doesn't want to reach Earth without you."

"Speaking about yourself in the third person now?" She smiled at his humour despite herself and stopped her pacing in front of him, arms crossed looking at him.

"You feel just like Starbuck and Tigh." She caught him off-guard and his gaze flew up to meet hers. "I wasn't scheduled to be teaching that day. I was supposed to be here, but Maya needed help." His eyes closed as she reminded him of one of the worst days of his life, second only to the day Zak died.

"The day the cylons came back, I wasn't supposed to be there and you had said it was ok to go. You blame yourself. You're the only who does though." Her hand came to rest on his cheek and he felt himself lean into her caress.

"The only reason you haven't ended up like your Kara or Saul is because I'm here. Because I'm here to remind you what a stubborn fool you're being when you beat yourself up for jumping away that day. Because I'm here to thank you every day for coming back for us – for me." He couldn't stop himself from pulling her to him, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her scent.

"So stop taking such stupid measures to get your point across ok?" This was whispered into his neck and he found himself feeling all the tension from his earlier encounter with his best friend and surrogate daughter disappear.

"Ok" he whispered back.

"You have a re-con mission to observe in CIC, Admiral."

"Too busy." He mumbled into her hair. Her laugh was a symphony of notes played by the most exotic instruments. She kissed him then, a kiss he could never have enough of in his life.

"I have to meet with Zarek on Colonial One anyway. Please try not to hand out a loaded weapon to any more subordinates while I'm gone."

"I'll try Madame President." He kissed her goodbye and felt a twinge of sadness as she walked out of the hatch. Oh well, time to find out about this Lion's Head of hers. With that he grabbed his glasses from his desk and made his way to CIC.


	6. Chapter 6

_The military had to assist with settling the civilians so Bill had been incredibly busy for the past two weeks, only getting by on two or three hours sleep a night. Realising the pressure he was under Laura had left to go visit Tory where she was staying on the Rising Star, the last ship to be settled due to a lottery system. _

_She had enjoyed getting to see her former aide again and getting to relax somewhere other than the Galactica and Bill's quarters. Most people would develop cabin fever being stuck inside the CO quarters of a battlestar for a month, but not Laura. Not when she had Bill coming home at night. She didn't reveal to Tory the kiss she and the Admiral had shared, let alone that she was the one to initiate it. _

_She really didn't know what had gotten into her. In all the relationships in the past she had been flirtatious and made what she wanted known, but never had she put herself out there like that. She had spent countless hours flirting with Richard, with giddy whispers around the office, and occasional touches that lingered slightly longer than appropriate. But he was the one to kiss her first, keeping her back after a meeting to "review the main topics covered". If main topics covered were her breasts then he reviewed them thoroughly that night. _

_The two weeks without Bill were torture to her, not being able to ask about his day, listen to him read to her, or even just bask in the comfort she found in his presence. Was it like this for him too? In a selfish way she hoped it was, hoped that she wasn't the only one to be this helplessly in love that it hurt to be apart. _

_The raptor that was bringing her home landed smoothly and Laura soon found herself standing on the hanger deck of the great battlestar. Spotting Tigh standing nearby discussing something with the chief, she made her way over to say hello._

"_Colonel." On hearing his title being called Tigh spun around to face her, a genuine smile forming as he recognised her._

"_Madame Pres-" She held up a hand to interrupt him._

"_Laura, remember? Our little plan didn't exactly go quite as intended did it?" Her teasing tone and gentle reminder of his involvement in her bid to steal the election increased the intensity of his smile just a little. _

"_It's good to see you, Laura" the name sounded foreign on his tongue, "the old man will be pleased to see you're back." Laura blushed at this and Tigh certainly looked like the cat that got the cream when he recognised her coy expression. She gave a small nod as a goodbye and turned to leave when he called her back._

"_Laura, if I can call you that, you get to call me Saul. Now don't let me keep you from the Admiral any longer."_

"_Thank you, Saul."_

_With that she turned and left, her feet scurrying along at a hurried pace to her destination: home._

_X_

_Something was wrong. There were marines stationed at the end of the corridor and two more marines outside the hatch to the CO's quarters. They needed everyone on the ground to help the civilians; surely Bill hadn't assigned himself more security at a time like this! Or worse, assigned them to her. It would be a signature Bill move. The marines studied her as she approached the hatch before stepping in to block her entrance._

"_Sorry ma'am, the Admiral is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed." Laura sighed and ran a hand across her brow in frustration. She was so tired all she wanted to do was curl up on Bill's couch. Just as she was about to thank the two marines and move on to find somewhere to rest for a while, the hatch swung open._

"_See to do it that it's done Admiral, this must go perfectly." Gaius Baltar stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed her standing there. Bill stood behind him and Laura was relieved to see a grin flash across his face before he pulled the mask of professionalism back on, still with happiness radiating from his cobalt eyes. _

"_Laura. How nice to see you!" Gaius pulled Laura into a tight hug, trapping her arms helplessly between their bodies, her travel bag swinging against their knees. When he released her she noticed Bill was having difficulty in not laughing. She tried to scowl at him but failed, admitting the awkwardness of this impromptu meeting was mildly humorous._

"_I'll ensure those matters are taken care of Mister President, Laura come on in." Bill dismissed him with a wave of his hand as Laura stepped through, and closed the hatch in the shocked face of Gaius Baltar. _

_Placing her bag on the floor, she turned to face where Bill stood. Her bag had just settled when Bill was closing the distance between them and pulling her into a bruising hug. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his waist as she grabbed fistfuls of his uniform, trying to pull him closer. His hands slid up her neck to tangle in her hair, massaging her scalp. _

_All concepts of time and space were lost as they held each other, simply taking comfort in the closeness their embrace allowed. The only sound to be heard was the quick, sharp, breaths coming from the couple. _

"_I missed you." Laura couldn't stand in the silence any longer, needing him to know exactly what she was feeling. _

"_I missed you too, so much." His voice broke as he began to place small kisses to her hairline, dragging them lower to her brow, further down to place one reverent kiss on each eyelid, a small peck to the tip of her nose and finally, finally, he captured her lips with as much passion as he could muster. _

_Laura went weak at the knees with the intensity of his kiss and clung on to him for dear life as she fought to control the waves of passion that threatened to overwhelm her. She could tell she was losing this battle badly if the little hums coming from her were anything to go by. Each sound she made only fuelled Bill's passion as he increased his assault, almost as if he were searching for the exact source from where the noise originated. _

_Breaking apart slowly, Bill rested his brow against hers, both breathing heavily. When Laura eventually opened her eyes she noticed Bill's were clamped firmly shut as if concentrating on something. Smiling at the cute picture he made, Laura brushed a small kiss against his cheek._

"_Glad to see you didn't forget, Admiral." _

_They both simultaneously broke into giggles and Laura thought there wasn't a more beautiful sight then Bill Adama giggling, his face a portrait of pure happiness. She felt pride swell within her knowing she was the cause of this happiness. Bill's hand found its way to her back and he guided her to sit on the couch. _

_He poured two glasses of Ambrosia which Laura recognised as the good stuff he kept hidden. Handing her one glass he sank into the seat beside her, angling his body to allow an arm to wrap around her back and rest on her hip. The softness of his touch as he swirled small circles on her hip was in direct contrast to the burning liquid making its way down her throat._

"_What did Baltar want?"_

"_He needs help organising a ceremony when all the civilians are officially off the ship. Apparently as well as crowd control, the military are now party planners." She smiled at his description of the new duties of his job. _

"_What's the ceremony for?"_

"_To celebrate the successful colonisation of New Caprica. He's calling it a groundbreaking ceremony." The smile dropped from her face as she turned his words over in her head. Groundbreaking ceremony, could the man be more loathsome?_

"_Will you go with me? To the ceremony that is." His question shouldn't have surprised her but it did. Laura never wanted to step foot on that frakking planet, let alone attend a ceremony to celebrate both that and Gaius Baltar. But with Bill, it could be made bearable. _

"_Are you asking me on a date, sir?" _

"_Yes. Unless your answer is no." She laughed at his uncertainty and place one of her delicate hands on his knee._

"_I'd love to go with you Bill, heck I'll even find a new dress to wear for it."_

"_You don't need to Laura, you look beautiful in anything." _

_The sincerity in his voice made her breath catch in her throat and Laura suddenly found herself fighting those waves of passion once more. Deciding she no longer wanted to fight them she reached for the zip on the jacket Tory had let her borrow. Bill's eyes never left hers as she pulled the zip down and shrugged the item from her shoulders and let it pool behind her on the couch. _

_His gaze was questioning, needing to make sure this was what she wanted. Ever the gentleman she thought. Deciding to help convince him, she placed both of their still full glasses on the table and set about unbuttoning his tunic. Fraught with nerves her fingers fumbled trying to get each button through the loop, until larger, but not steadier, hands joined in to help. _

"_There's too many of them." She laughed as they finally rid him of his tunic Laura pulled the tanks from the waistband of his trousers and over his head. Her hands couldn't help themselves from roaming his broad chest as she drew one finger to trace the line of the scar that almost tore him from them. _

_Pulling herself back to the present, she glanced up at his face and was surprised to see the raw desire burning from his eyes. Their lips met again, not as hurried as the first kiss but most definitely as passionate. Breaking the kiss he stood up and offered her his hand, guiding them to his rack. They made quick work of the rest of their clothes and soon Laura found herself lying underneath the form of William Adama as he loomed over her with only adoration in his eyes. _

"_Are you sure?" His question was almost naive. How could they stop now? She could only nod her head in response not able to vocalise that she had never been more certain of anything. _

_X_

_It felt like hours later when Bill groaned her name and collapsed on top of her, rolling off to the side almost immediately. Laura loved hearing him call her name like that especially considering how many times he made her scream out his name. He gathered the sheets from where they lay, crumpled at their feet, and pulled them up to cover them. He then snaked a sweat covered arm around her waist and pulled her back to him. _

_Laura wriggled until she found a comfortable position, his leg tucked in between hers, and his forehead coming to rest against her shoulder, her entire back pressed against his chest. She began to run her free hand in soothing patterns up and down the arm that still lay around her waist, in a bid to lull Bill to sleep. _

_She heard his breathing even out and soon followed him into slumber. _


	7. Chapter 7

"Galactica Apollo, we have a situation down here. The cylons have been infected with a disease. We have all been exposed...we've all been exposed."

Bill took a step back from the dradis screen as felt his heart leap into his mouth. Gods not Lee. He had already lost one son and that was one too many. He bellowed orders at the crew and the CIC was suddenly thrown into chaos as everyone raced to carry out their assigned tasks. Bill needed to clear his head, he needed to take a breath, he needed to subdue his panic, he needed –

"Get me the president" he growled, as he picked up the comm.

"Adama" One word and she had him smiling. His breathing had slowed and evened out and he began to visualise a plan for the quarantine of his pilots.

"It's me." Bill Adama, a man of few words.

"What's wrong? Did we learn anything from the mission to the cylon ship?"

"The cylons aboard were infected with something, our people were exposed. They're going to be put in quarantine now."

"Oh gods, how many were there? Oh Bill, Lee was on that mission!" He smiled despite the severity of the situation. Her love for his son only served to fuel his own love for her.

"I've got Cottle coming down to test them. We'll know soon enough what we're dealing with."

"And you'll let me know how he is when those results are in?" The use of the pronoun in her question showed a rare occasion when Laura slipped through the presidents facade.

"I'll let you know. Thank you Madame President." The buzz of CIC came back into focus as he ended the conversation with his wife and the Admiral stepped forward to continue monitoring the newest emergency they found themselves in.

x

Immune. Bill couldn't think of a more beautiful word as he stood in his quarters staring at his son. They had shared a brief awkward hug when Lee had arrived, Bill trying to express all his emotions in that one embrace. He was silent as he mapped every feature of his son's face before the others started to arrive.

The hatch swung open and a blur of red hair swept passed Bill and enfolded his son into her arms. She had wrapped her arms around his shoulders, running her hands up and down his back in quick soothing motions, and Lee's hands gripped her pink shirt at her waist. She was swaying them from side to side and Bill swore he could hear gentle shushing sounds coming from her.

When they finally released each other she reached her hand up to pat his cheek and pressed a chaste motherly kiss to his forehead. They stepped away from each other just as Cottle and Helo came through the open hatch.

Bill stepped forward and placed his hand on her back, guiding her into a seat. She smiled gratefully at him, the first time she had acknowledged his presence in the room. He stepped to the side to listen to what Cottle had discovered about this virus.

"Ok but they're not going to talk." Lee was right, they could give the cylons this injection but there was no way they would divulge any information then.

"They might if we dangle the vaccine, they don't need to know it's a stop gap not a cure." The president's words shocked Bill. He sometimes found it difficult to correlate the woman he met on decommissioning day to the one sitting in front of him now. She had learned so much since then, made so many tough choices.

"They're ready to die."

"They may be ready to die but that doesn't mean one of them won't jump at a second chance." Bill had to agree with her. Despite what Lee had said one of them may not want to face the prospect of not downloading.

He ordered Helo to find out if one of the cylons would take the bait and Cottle left to continue testing Athena, who hadn't been cleared yet. He turned to dismiss Lee to find he had already left.

"I have to get back to Colonial One. Paper work, ugh!" Her grimace was utterly adorable to him.

"I couldn't express how glad I was to see he was ok." She looked puzzled at his statement and tilted her head to one side, as if that would enable her to understand him better. "You came in here and hugged him, comforted him, and let him know how much he means to you. I've never been good at that; expressing my feelings. Except with you of course."

"Men!" She gave an annoyed sigh, but the grin plastered on her face contradicted her outburst. Stepping closer she placed her hands on either side of her faced and forced him to meet her eyes. "Lee knows how much you love him, just like you know how much he loves you. I married into this crazy family so I have to work extra hard to show my affection. That's all Admiral."

"You never have to work hard with me." He moved forward to capture her lips, just as Tory poked her head into the room.

"Madame President we need to hurry. Your meeting with Zarek was pushed back for this meeting that appeared to have ended five minutes ago."

Laura laughed at the look Bill was throwing Tory. If looks could kill Laura would have found herself searching for a new aide. Kissing Bill on the cheek she moved away and followed Tory out the hatch.

x

"Genocide, so that's what we're about now?" The anger reverberated from every pore in Helo's body as he stood beside Apollo, listening to him describe to the Admiral and the President, how they could be rid of the cylons forever.

"They're not human. They were built not born. No fathers no mothers no sons no daughters"

"I had a daughter, I held her in my arms." Bill's face remained set in the Admiral mask but he felt his stomach drop at Helo's words. He didn't dare look at Laura, already knowing what an expert she was at hiding her emotions. The Captain wouldn't learn of his daughter's secret life from Laura Adama that's for sure.

"You can rationalise it anyway you want. We do this, we wipe out their race, then we're no different than they are." Helo wasn't going to let this drop easily, was probably going to put forward another argument when Laura stepped in.

"Captain, I regretfully disagree, the cylons struck first in this war and not being content with the annihilation of billions of human beings, they pursue us relentlessly through the galaxies determined to wipe us out."

"They tried to live with us on New Caprica." Oh frak, Bill thought, please don't let her kill one his officers.

"What did you say?" The venom in her voice was evident.

"They tried to live with us on New Caprica"

"You weren't on New Caprica and from my recollection you did not set foot there, so out of respect for the hundreds of men and women on your crew who suffered through that snake pit I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. You would serve your fleet well if you would remember occasionally that the cylons are a mortal threat to the survival of the human race." Bill felt his heart constrict at the tone in her voice and his mind filled with images of Laura's stay in detention. She told him about it after their initial reunion and some scars had remained on her beautiful body. Every time they made love he was reminded of her suffering.

He dismissed Helo and stepped towards her, ready to debate whether or not they were about to commit genocide. Not knowing where to start he sat himself in one of her comfier chairs. She stepped out from behind her desk and began to get something for them to drink. Passing him a cup she settled into a seat across from him, tucking her legs underneath her.

They sat like that for a while, drinking in silence, both examining the points made, before Bill decided to break the hush.

"There's a point I'd like to make"

"Mm hmm"

"The law forbids me to use biological weapons without a direct Presidential order."

"Which means you're passing the buck?"

"On this one yes, Helo's right on one thing, we start destroying entire races even mechanical races. It's liable to tear off a piece of a man's soul."

"The cylons are coming to earth. If they find us they are coming for us. Those are the stakes now, always have been Bill."

"Posterity really doesn't look too kindly on genocide."

"You're making an assumption posterity will define this as genocide. If they do at least there'll be someone alive to hate us for it. The cylons are our mistake, we created them. Alright Admiral Adama, as President, I have determined the cylons be made extinct, use of biological weapons is authorised."

"So say we all"

"So say we all" She laughed softly as she repeated his words.

x

"I'm closing the book on this." He had lost too many men to now sully one's reputation because of something he himself was not convinced was ethically right.

"How convenient"

He stood and walked to his desk, grabbing a report and passing it to her before sitting down again.

"Cottles report on the virus he thinks that it was simply an accidental contamination of the beacon we abandoned on the sickbay ship" he explained.

"Someone sneezed near it."

"Ya an entire race almost wiped out cos someone forgot to wipe their nose." She began to rub her head and he could almost see the headache forming. Deciding some good news might alleviate some of the strain he continued. "According to Cottle, the virus was an exact match to one reported almost 3000 years ago. Right around the time the thirteenth colony left Kobol.

"The beacon was a signpost to earth."

"I think we're on the right trail Laura"

"Yes we're on the right trail Bill, so are the cylons."

"Anyone ever tell you, you have a knack for putting a dampener on things?" She rewarded him with a heartfelt laugh, bending over clutching her stomach and her face reddening from the strain.

"Come here." He summoned her with a nod of his head as he placed his glass on the table between them. She got to her feet and slowly meandered over to him. She slid onto his lap as her hands curled around his neck and his wrapped around her waist.

He pulled her green shirt free from her skirt and laid his hands across her bare back. She hissed at the contact and arched her back. Her fingers danced through his hair and across his scalp as she dipped her head, lips meeting. As the kiss intensified he let one hand slide from her back to her knee, resting momentarily before it began its ascent again, this time pushing her skirt up along its way. His eager hand made its way to where it was longing to be and she broke the kiss with a moan as he found her more than ready.

"The rack?" She was still articulate despite Bill's best efforts. He shook his head at her suggestion for the location change.

"Here, Admiral?"

"Right here Laura."

x

"Frak!"

Bill awoke to the sound of a crash and his wife cursing. Opening one eye he noticed the room was still dark and that the President of the Twelve Colonies was limping around their room. A chair lay toppled on the floor, the obvious cause for Laura's sudden one legged dance.

"Laura, what time is it?" His speech was slurred as he tried to remain in the blissful ignorance his dreams offered.

"It's too early for you to get up – go back to sleep" She leaned in to press a kiss to his forehead, taking advantage of the angle she was at, Bill wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her down to lay beside him.

"If it's too early for me, then it's too early for you" He mumbled, sleep already claiming him again.

"We're clearing out Colonial One today Bill, it's a mess over there and I really want to sort it out as soon as possible." Despite her explanation of the necessity for the early start she burrowed into his side and rested her head on his shoulder, releasing a contented sigh. When Bill woke up again a while later he found she had managed to sneak away successfully.

x

Laura picked the folder from one of the many boxes strewn across her desk. She was about to add it to the stack they were disposing of, when something caught her eye that looked familiar. Opening the folder she began to inspect its contents.

"Is there really any place left in the universe deserving of such a rare and distinguished item?" Laura looked up from the folder to discover Tory holding up a giant painting of Gaius Baltar. Ugh she thought she had gotten rid of that.

"I was thinking put it in the bathroom right over the toilet."

"Excellent choice" Tory replied as Laura went back to perusing the file. She gasped as she suddenly recognised the contents.

"Oh my Gods, oh Tory come look at this, this is the dossier that Billy prepared for me, my first day aboard Galactica. I can't believe I was about to throw this out in the trash."

She lifted a picture from the contents, one showing Bill, Tigh and other members aboard his ship before he had command of Galactica. Gazing at the picture Laura found a slightly younger looking version of the man she woke up with this morning staring back at her.

"The Valkyrie, this was Adama's command before Galactica?"

"Mm hmm"

"Look at that, this year marks Admiral Adama's 45th year in the colonial fleet; in fact his commissioning date is only a few days from now." Laura thanked the Gods for Tory's great attention to detail. A plan began formulating in her mind as she paced to the other side of the room.

"I think I want to have a ceremony. Let's give the Admiral a medal, for 45 years of devoted service."

"Couldn't have come at a better time."

"Give the people something to feel good about for a change." Bill was the reason she felt good while constantly on the run for their lives so it made sense that he was responsible for everyone else feeling good as well. She smiled as she pictured the ceremony where she would award him this medal. I hope he'll like this idea, she thought as she began to give Tory instructions on setting this up.

x

"_This is Bulldog_."

Adama felt his heart leap into his throat. It couldn't be, could it?

"Have them escort the raider in, prisoner drill." He growled, promptly turning and leaving the CIC. Arriving at the hanger deck he was just in time to see a raider being pulled in. A hatch opened at the bottom of the raider and everyone crouched down to see what or who would emerge.

A man in white fell from the raptor and as he stood Bill could feel the memories come back to haunt him. When the man spotted Bill he stood to attention and saluted him, Bill could only salute him back.

"Is it really you sir?"

"Ya it's me, welcome home Bulldog" Bill replied.

x

As Cottle was examining Bulldog to determine if he was a cylon, Bill called Laura over on Colonial One.

"That's right he's one of mine, disappeared about 3 years ago, we think that he was captured."

"I'd like to meet him"

"Of course, I'll arrange it."

He turned to face Bulldog as the lieutenant hopped down from the bed he was sitting on.

"We're going to meet with President Adama in a bit, let's get you something to eat before ok?"

"President Adama? A relative of yours?"

"My wife, it's a long story I'll tell you while you get something to eat, come on."

X

Two hours later and Laura and Tory sat across from Bill and Bulldog. Bill had let Bulldog eat before facing the president, knowing how many questions she would want answered.

"Let me try and understand exactly what happened here, I'm just gonna go back a little alright? About a year prior to the cylon attack on the colonies, you were on a mission with Admiral Adama, is that correct?"

Bulldog looked to Bill who nodded slightly in response, prompting Bulldog to continue to explain about the Taurons drilling for tyllium too close to the Cylon armistice line. A story, Bill prayed to Gods he didn't believe in, that Laura accepted.

"Could you both give us a moment? Thank you Tory and thank you very much lieutenant, I appreciate it." He knew he had failed in pulling the wool over her eyes. She glanced at him coyly before asking the question he had been dreading.

"So you gonna tell me what really happened?"

"You're gonna have to trust me on this one ok? It's my mess. I'll fix it." She left without saying another word, but glowing with anger.

He couldn't tell her, what would she think of him? Would she leave? He couldn't bear the thought of that. Bill felt frustration build up inside at this whole situation. Needing a release he knocked over a chair, feeling only marginally better.

x

He was going to confess it all to him. Bill couldn't keep it inside any longer. He needed to clear the air and going to see Bulldog now would help. Walking through the hatch he noticed something was odd, something he couldn't quite put his finger on until he felt a crunching blow to his stomach.

Bulldog had hit him square in the stomach with some sort of pipe and as soon as the pipe made contact with him, a forceful punch to the face followed. Bill fell forward as Bulldog tied his hands behind his back pushing him up against the table.

He couldn't make out the words Bulldog was saying, even as he was being choked by the pipe, all his thoughts were focused on Laura. Her smiles, because she had many different smiles; genuine happiness; in the morning still drowsy with sleep; mischievous, when she had something up her sleeve. He remembered the way she felt, her smooth skin brushing against him as she writhed beneath him in ecstasy. The last thing he remembered was her voice, the way she could command a room full of very powerful men and women with her instrument and how it could change to being so soft when she was alone with him.

So caught up with thoughts of her, he barely noticed when Tigh entered the room. The friend he had been avoiding was back to save the day. Never before had he been so glad to see that bald head of his. Saul dragged him straight to sick bay, leaving Bulldog in the capable hands of the marines.

Cottle, in his usual gruff manner, grumbled throughout the entire exam declaring him fit only for a few cuts, bruises and a broken rib or two.

"Can I have a piece of paper?" If Cottle seemed shocked by his request he hid it well, handing him a pen and paper and staying out of his way as Bill put his resignation in writing. Laura wasn't going to be happy when she read this, but it was his only choice after what happened.

x

Bill stood in her office waiting for her to arrive. He sighed at the thought of what kind of reaction was awaiting him, especially when she read the piece of paper he had just placed on her desk.

His thoughts on the woman distracted him enough that he was not aware of her approaching until she stepped into the office. She stopped short at the sight of him, her eyes travelling over the cuts and bruises on his face. Tears pooled in her incredible green eyes and she began to sob uncontrollably.

Closing the distance between them he wrapped his arms around her resting his chin on her head and pressing soft kisses into her hair. She buried her face into his chest and clutched at the collar of his uniform as she the sobs shock her entire body.

Remembering how she had soothed Lee after the virus scare, he slowly began to sway them side to side, all the while murmuring comforting words to her. She smiled into his chest, recognising what he was trying to do. Her hands pushed against him to allow her to angle her head to gaze up at him.

She touched her lips to his cautiously afraid of hurting him. He deepened the kiss and tightened his hold on her, ignoring the shooting pain the embrace caused his injured ribs.

Breaking the kiss she began to whisper against his lips, over and over again, "I love you."

"I love you too, and look I'm fine, I'm right here."

"We're never going to have normal, quiet lives are we?"

"Yes we are, we're gonna find Earth, and live out the rest of our days as boring old folk."

"Who are you calling old?"

He was glad to hear the humour in her voice and the sparkle light up her eyes and she gazed lovingly at him. Stepping back from her, his gaze drifted to the paper sitting on her desk. Following the path his eyes took, she stepped behind the desk and picked up the letter. Once her glasses were in place she sat down as she began to read, her face an unreadable mask.

"What is this? Your resignation, you gotta be kidding me."

"I said before, we can't hide from the things we've done. I see no other way around this situation. Maybe it's time Laura." The thought of a normal life flashed before her eyes, but she would still be President and they would still be on the run. There would be no normal life until they reached Earth.

"Sit down Bill. I think you're being naive"

"Naive?"

"Did it ever occur to you the Admiralty set you up to provoke a war they wanted? It's naive to think horrible things we can't explain have simple explanations. Because simple explanations make us think we've control when we don't. We know why the cylons attacked us and it wasn't any one thing. Oh my Gods, we did a thousand things good and bad for forty years to pave the way for these attacks."

He didn't ask how she found out what he was keeping from her, even though he was very curious as to how she knew.

"Something has to be done." He was adamant on this matter and she wasn't going to be able to change that. Handing him a sheet of paper she asked,

"You know what that is?"

"Medal of distinction" he replied.

"This was before I heard about this resignation of yours so...hmmm. I'd like to propose this. You seem hell bent on paying some sort of penance for what you think you've done, so instead of resigning why don't you, get up and walk on out of here, meet me in the port hanger deck tomorrow evening for the ceremony and let me pin a frakking medal to your chest."

"I can't."

"It's not for you, it's for them. Stand up there acknowledge your fleet and give them what they need. A hero, that'll be your penance even if it kills you."

A comfortable silence enveloped the room as the two leaders stared at each other, neither wanting to give in. Finally Bill nodded his head ever so slightly, almost unseen. The only acknowledgement that she had seen it was the small curling of her lip in a victorious smile.

x

"On behalf of everyone in this room, it's my pleasure to present you, Admiral Adama, with the medal of distinction for your 45 years of service to the colonial fleet. Congratulations."

As she lifted the medal over his head, she couldn't think of a moment when she had been more proud of him. Smiling she stepped back beside Helo and joined the rest of the crew in their applause for the old man.

x

The knock on the hatch disturbed Bill as he was reading the first chapter of a new book to Laura. They were snuggled together on the couch, Laura's hold on him tighter than it had been before the Bulldog incident. Extracting himself from their embrace, he made his way to the hatch and pulled it open. He was surprised to see Saul standing there, Laura it seems was not.

"Colonel, how nice to see you." She smiled sweetly at the man and even offered him a hug as he stepped through the hatch.

"Same goes for you Madame President." Glancing from one to the other, it all became clear to Bill how Laura knew about the real mission that led to Bulldog being shot down.

"I'll be in the back finishing paper work sweetheart." She leaned forward to give Bill a chaste kiss and moved past him into the back. Laura and Saul never saw eye to eye but if they could put their differences aside and still remain friends then so could Bill. He turned back to Saul to try and work on re-building his friendship.

Bill wondered if she listened to their little exchange; probably. She never came out to join them for a drink and when he climbed into the rack later she pretended to be asleep; ever the understanding wife.

"You don't have to pretend, I know you too well." She hesitated for a moment before she turned, letting him wrap an arm around her and laying her head on his shoulder. Her hand played with the dog tags resting on his chest.

"You friends again?"

"These things take time Laura." He sighed as he ran his hand along her bare back before continuing. "But we're getting there...we're getting there."


	8. Chapter 8

_Laura awoke to hear murmured voices. The usual warmth of her companion was missing and Laura found she didn't like waking up without Bill's arm wrapped around her. Sitting up she began to pull Bill's robe off the floor._

_As her sleep addled brain began to clear she could make out Bill's voice along with that of the deck chief. Deciding the former president walking out in the Admiral's robe wouldn't look too good, she let the robe fall back to the floor and began to dress in Bill's old sweats. She could hear their conversation as she pulled the tanks over her head. _

"_Congratulations, I may be jumping the gun, but the first boy born on Galactica." The Admiral sounded pleased. A baby boy born on Galactica, now that would be a first. Of course there was a baby girl already born here, with a pang of guilt Laura realised she was going to have to tell him soon. They couldn't continue pursuing this romantic relationship if she wasn't completely honest with him. _

_Due to her musings on baby Hera, now Isis, she missed some of what the chief said, however his next sentence jolted her out her daydreams and back into the present._

"_We both would like to request to be relieved of duty and settle on New Caprica." Bill laughed softly and replied in an instant._

"_No. No way, I need you both here for the duration." Laura stepped out from where she had been dressing, hoping that her presence would calm the two men and that a fight would not ensue. Something in Bill's voice when he denied the chief's request held total determination. Whatever the chief wanted he wasn't going to get it today._

"_Madame Pres- , it's good to see you." Laura smiled at his slip of the tongue. Most people were used to seeing her around the ship and as time went by, less and less people referred to her as Madame President. She didn't know was this a good thing or a bad thing. _

"_Chief it's lovely to see you. Bill told me yesterday that congratulations are in order." The chief's face lit up as he began talking about his excitement at the thought of being a father and the happiness him and Cally felt. He smiled warmly at Laura as he left and gave the Admiral a stiff salute closing the hatch behind him._

"_Another one wants to leave." Gaeta had left almost as soon as Baltar had been sworn in, now working for him as his aide, and Bill had been overwhelmed with requests from crew members wanting to settle. Just yesterday he had approved the transfer of Anastasia Dualla to the Peagasus in order for her to be closer to Lee. _

_Laura reached over to brush her fingers along the hair lining his upper lip. She had been wary of the change at first, but now she felt a secret thrill when it brushed along her own upper lip as they shared an intimate kiss, or as it scraped along her bare skin as he placed light kisses on her body. _

_Bill smiled as she fondled the moustache and placed a feather light kiss to the tip of her finger that rested against his lip. She soon replaced that finger with her mouth as she received the good morning she had wanted. Bill's arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer and she let her arms slide around his neck. Breaking the kiss Laura's lips travelled down to place several more small pecks on his jaw and neck. _

"_Good morning" she whispered into his neck. She felt him chuckle as his hands ran in soft motions up and down her back. "I missed waking up beside you." _

"_I was only in the next room." She shook her head and pulled back marginally to look him in the eyes. _

"_Not the same thing. I missed your arms around me. The heat from your body." Bill smiled coyly at her confession. _

"_My body heat? That's what you missed? Well now I feel used." Laura smiled at his deliberate attempt at humour. They were falling for each other, both knew it but neither wanted to acknowledge it. At least not out loud yet. Bill was deliberately trying to steer the conversation in a different direction to avoid that conversation. For now anyway._

"_Mm hmm, I had planned to make you feel used in a whole different way." Bill groaned as he rested his forehead against Laura's. "I'm thinking of visiting a friend on New Caprica soon."_

_Bill pulled back confusion lining his face. She smiled sweetly to ease his rising panic. _

"_I was thinking the day before that groundbreaking ceremony that Baltar has you planning. I'll stay with her that night and the next day I can be your date to the farce – I mean ceremony." Laughing Bill leaned in to kiss her once more, relief flowing through him. _

"_Do I know this 'friend' of yours?"_

"_No, I helped her with an adoption a while back. She kept in contact just to show the child's progress."_

"_What's the child's name?" Laura froze in his arms. This was the perfect moment to tell him. He would understand. Wouldn't he? Tell him Laura. Tell him it's Hera, she thought over and over, repeating the mantra in her head. _

"_Isis. She's called Isis." _

_x_

_She could hear soft cooing coming from inside the tent as she approached. There was no door and no place to knock and make her presence known so Laura pushed the tent flap aside as she called out._

"_Knock, knock"_

"_Laura!" A young woman with long dark hair wrapped Laura in a tight hug. Glancing over the woman's shoulder, Laura could see baby Isis lying on a bed of blankets, gurgling happily. _

"_It's so good to see you, Maya!" Laura hugged the girl tight once and released her to say hello to the precious cargo now blowing spit bubbles. "And it's very good to see you too, Isis." _

_Maya picked the child up and went to pass her to Laura. Placing the child carefully in Laura's arms she turned to grab some toys that littered the floor. Isis stared at Laura with wide open eyes, questioning who this strange woman holding her was. _

"_Hi Isis, remember me? My goodness, look how big you've gotten. You're going to be up and running circles around your mother soon."_

_Maya laughed as she put the last of the toys away in a little box. She retrieved Isis from her admirer and began to wrap the baby in warmer clothes._

"_I've got something to show you Laura."_

"_Uh oh. A good something?" Laura asked laughing._

"_Oh definitely good. You're gonna love it." _

_Maya led the way passed the tents, passed the landed ships, and finally passed some military personnel setting up a stage for the ceremony tomorrow. I wonder can Bill dance, Laura thought, a smile spread across her face as she pictured being twirled in the Admiral's arms. _

"_Here we are!" They had stopped in front of a large tent that looked just like all the others except for the size. Stepping inside Laura instantly recognised what this tent was for._

_Small chairs and desks lined the room from the bottom almost to the top. There was a larger desk set up at the top in front of a blackboard. Where had they found a blackboard?_

"_A school." Laura sighed, turning to face Maya. The young woman was beaming and even Isis seemed pleased to be in this particular tent as she bounced her chubby arms up and down. _

"_Yep. This is the first fully furnished building, or tent I should say, on our new planet. I had a little help." At Laura's confused look, Tory stepped into view._

"_Tory!" Laura threw her arms around her former aide. Tory laughed as she hugged back._

"_Well Laura what do you think?" _

"_It's marvellous! I can't believe that the two of you managed to pull this off. When does it open? When can the kids start learning here?"_

"_How soon can you start?" Laura felt all her excitement drain from her at Tory's words. She gaped at the two women, both still wearing huge grins. _

"_What do...What do you mean?" Fear gripped her heart as she waited for Tory's reply._

"_Who better to teach the future of humanity than the former Secretary of Education turned President? We didn't know when you'd be moving down here, so we thought we'd show it to you today." _

"_Oh Tory...Maya... this is...amazing, it really is, but I can't teach. I'm not moving down here."_

_The smiles instantly vanished and Isis began to fuss in her mother's arms. The two women sat simultaneously in the small chairs, both trying to figure out what Laura's words meant. _

"_But...but...you...Who will teach the kids?" Tory's usual articulate nature had vanished as she spoke. _

"_Maya was a teacher's assistant before the attacks. And there's no-one better at handling the press and the quorum than you, compared to them a room of screaming children is easy."_

"_No disrespect ma'am but an assistant and someone who can handle the press is not what these kids need. They need someone to teach them."_

"_I'm sorry girls. I can't. I can't move down here. I campaigned against settling, this place isn't for me."_

_The two girls nodded their heads to show their understanding, but the disappointment stayed on their faces even as they walked back to Maya's tent and all through dinner. This is gonna be a long night, Laura thought. _

_X_

_Laura was definitely lost. As she looked around all she could see were trees. She looked across the clearing trying to remember which way she had come from. She had risen early, not wanting a repeat of the awkward dinner conversation at breakfast, so she left to go for a stroll. Last time you try to explore this frakking planet, Laura reprimanded herself. _

_Hearing the trickling of water in the distance, she decided to follow it. The small stream was beautiful she noticed but not as beautiful as where it ended up. It flowed into a lake and as Laura gazed into it she felt as if she was looking through glass. There were small plants surrounding the lake and the land here didn't seem as barren as the rest of the planet. _

_An image suddenly came into her head. A cabin. A small wooden cabin with a porch at the front, facing the lake. A rocking chair to sit on and enjoy the beautiful scenery. No. Make that two rocking chairs. The vision of her and Bill sitting side by side as they surveyed their land was breathtaking. Laura sat at the water's edge and continued her dream. Evenings would be spent on a comfortable couch where Bill would read to her by a blazing fire. Then off to bed where they would spend hours making slow, passionate love. _

_Tears pooled in her eyes as she thought of what her life could be like. But she wasn't involved with just anyone. The Admiral of the Fleet. A man who needed to stay aboard Galactica to protect the rest of humanity. And although they were both avoiding the subject of their strong feelings, she couldn't even think about moving away and leaving him. No matter how beautiful a picture it made. It wasn't complete without Bill._

_Some of these plants had a serene beauty about them; Laura even considered taking a clipping back to Galactica to put in Bill's quarters. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something, something she hadn't seen since college. Bill might enjoy this, she thought as she set about collecting it. _

"_Madame Pres?" Laura squinted against the sun as she looked up at the young Captain hovering over her. She didn't know how long she had been on the floor filling her bag with a certain plant. _

"_Kara? Thank the Gods, I thought I would never find my way back!" Kara smiled at her as she stretched a hand down to help Laura to stand. _

"_What are you doing all the way out her sir? The Admiral is looking for you."_

"_I was just going for a walk is all Captain. Well, let's not keep the good Admiral waiting. Lead the way Captain Thrace." The two women smiled and chatted as Kara showed the way back to the civilian camp._

_X_

"_He's right around there ma'am." She thanked the young officer, whose name she couldn't remember and walked in the direction he had pointed. Sure enough, there was Bill sitting with his back to her. As she neared she noticed he had taken his shoes off and appeared to be playing in the sand!_

"_I didn't expect to find you playing in the sand." She joked as she sat beside him._

"_It's not sand its alluvial deposits, this used to be the river mouth."_

"_And you just had to take off your shoes and play in the alluvial deposits, how romantic." _

"_That's a nice colour on you." Laura had almost forgotten about the new outfit Tory and Maya had helped her pick out. She always loved red, and when she saw the skirt and matching wrap she couldn't resist. _

"_Thank you."_

"_It's good to see you Laura." Laura smiled. They had only been separated a day but she knew what he meant. How could she come down to teach here and not see him every day?_

"_You too Bill."_

"_I missed waking up beside you." Laura could have cried at his confession, instead she laid her head on his shoulder and continued to watch his feet play in the alluvial deposits. Their private moment together was broken by Gaeta, who seemed extremely uncomfortable to interrupt them._

"_Eh...excuse me...sorry sir but...eh...President Baltar is saying they are ready for the ceremony now...He's...eh...requesting your presence."_

_He shifted from one foot to the other as he addressed Bill and as soon as his message was delivered he turned and left. Bill chuckled as he slipped his feet back into his boots. _

"_Are you coming to the ceremony part?"_

"_Eh, no thanks Bill. Tory and Maya said they aren't going either so I'll probably meet them for a drink and wait for you there. Is that ok?"_

"_Of course. I'll see you when it's over." Both stood awkwardly glancing at the other, not knowing how much public displays of affection they were willing to share. They seemed to reach the same conclusion as they leaned in to press a kiss on the cheek and abruptly turn and move in different directions. _

_X_

_Tory laughed as she was swung around and around on the dance floor by her partner. Her face was shining with happiness as was everyone else's around her. Laura watched from her seat, sipping her drink. Maybe I shouldn't have judged this place so fast, Laura thought. She was brought out of her thoughts by Saul and Ellen Tigh flopping down into the seats beside her. _

"_Wow, Laura are you not going to get out there?" Ellen took another swig of her drink as Laura shook her head. "Ah, your dance partner is not here yet." Laura couldn't control her scowl, just like Ellen couldn't control her smirk. Deciding to beat her at her own game Laura rose from her seat and smiled sweetly at Ellen. _

"_Well I guess I better go find him then shouldn't I?" She left them laughing, Ellen tucking her legs over Saul. She stopped at a market vendor and purchased some necessary equipment. It had been a long time since she'd rolled one of these but it must be like riding a bike right? _

_Many people smiled at her as she made her way through the crowd. Spotting the Admiral ahead Laura picked up her pace until she reached him. _

"_Hey you." His smile was contagious and she found herself wanting to smother him with passionate kisses. _

"_How was the Baltar's speech?" She laughed at his over-exaggerated eye roll. _

"_You want a drink?" he asked._

"_Of course. I found something you might like." Discretely showing him her find from the clearing, she smirked at him. _

"_You continue to surprise me, woman!" Laura could feel the effects from the first drag. She leaned into Bill as they shared some laughs about Baltar._

"_I swear Bill, it was like he thought there was someone else in the room with us! It was the strangest conversation of my life." Bill clutched at his side as Laura was telling the story. He was about to counter with a story of his own, when Felix Gaeta decided to join their conversation._

"_Admiral, Laura, hope your enjoying the festivities." Both Laura and Bill's hands flew behind their backs, trying to keep their little secret from being found out, all the while Gaeta droned on and on about the systems set up by the new government._

_We'll have the infrastructure to deal with any unforeseen eh...excuse me for just one moment, the finance minister just came by, I should really..." And with that he was gone._

"_Oh my gods I didn't think he'd ever leave." Laura breathed a sigh of relief before taking another drag. _

"_You say this stuff grows round here?"_

"_Mm hmmm, in the mountains north of here there's this stream runs down into a lake. The water is so clear it's like looking through glass" She paused unsure of whether she should divulge the next part. "I could almost picture a cabin being built there."_

"_That's good."_

"_It is good." Bill looked as if he was about to say more but Starbuck grabbed his hand. _

"_Come on Old Man, show us your moves. You too Madame Pres." Laura felt Sam Anders pull her onto the floor. The dance was a spirited one, lots of interchanging partners. After a couple of turns on the floor Laura found herself breathless. Stepping off to the side, she watched Bill as he spun Starbuck and then Dualla, his grin lighting up his entire face. _

_When his gaze landed on her she felt the air leave her lungs. She nodded her head to the side, indicating where she wanted him to go. He followed her as she strode through the crowds, towards a quieter area. Finally finding a secluded area she flopped down onto the sandbags, Bill following her, both relaxing back. _

"_Is this really it Bill? Is this how we're gonna spend all the rest of our days?"_

_Bill turned to face her, trying to figure out what she meant by that. He lifted his arm up in a silent invitation which Laura accepted. Tucking herself into his side, she rested her arm on his chest, leaving her fist under her chin._

"_Maybe we should just enjoy this."_

"_I am"_

"_No, no I mean enjoy being here on this planet as long as it lasts I mean maybe the cylons come back maybe they don't but for now, right now we caught a break." Bill didn't like where this conversation was going._

"_I got people wanna get off the ship move down here."_

"_Can't say I blame them, I mean what are you going to do. Maya showed me a school today." Bill closed his eyes tight. He could tell where this was going but they had only been together for a short while, the thought of losing her scared him. _

"_They ask you to teach there?"_

"_Ya."_

"_Did you accept?"_

"_No" Her answer surprised him and he felt his heart leap in his chest. He pushed away from her until he could see her eyes, wanting to be able to understand fully what she was telling him. _

"_Why?" She took a deep breath, afraid of what she was about to say. Afraid of what he'd do, when she said it. _

"_Because I love you. And I don't want to be apart from you. I did dream of a cabin when I saw that lake but you were there too Bill. This whole thing scares me Bill, we've only been involved for a few weeks and already I feel like this. I'm scared, but I do love you, so I'm choosing you over teaching" She finished her declaration by resting her head on his shoulder, too afraid to look him in the eyes. _

"_I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that." She lifted her head marginally at his words._

"_I love you Laura, with all my heart. And I want that cabin with you too. I want everything with you." _

_Laura rose up on her hands and hovered above his face. His eyes shone with unshed tears and she cursed herself as she felt her own begin to fall. He lifted a hand to wipe them from her cheek, leaving his palm resting there. She swiftly captured his lips, the passion of his kiss making her go weak. _

_When they made love that night against the sandbags, it was exactly like Laura had imagined by the lake. Slow and passionate, the only sounds were the distant chattering and music from the partygoers and the eventual screaming of each other's names. _

_X_

_Waking up beside Bill was something Laura wanted to do forever. She smiled to herself when she remembered last night's conversation. He lay on his back, one hand tucked under his head and one arm wrapped around her. She rested her head on his strong chest, a surprisingly comfy pillow._

"_You finally awake?" Laura's smile increased as she felt his chest rumble when he spoke. She manoeuvred until she could kiss him good morning. The position reminiscent of last night's make out session but not quite as passionate. These were small pecks, the slightest of pressure when lips made contact. _

"_I don't know about you Bill, but I'm starving!"_

"_I'm ok, I ate my share last night." That earned him a smack on the chest, but the smile on Laura's face let him know he was off the hook, the blush on her cheeks let him know the memory was still vivid for her. _

_They dressed and walked back towards civilisation. Along the way Bill moved closer to Laura letting his arm rub against hers every now and then until he made the bold gesture of taking her hand and clasping it in his. At her shocked expression he raised the joined hands and pressed a brief kiss against her knuckles._

_They spotted Cally and the chief sitting at a table a little further away. Noticing Bill's grim expression Laura gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Flashing a grateful smile to her, he moved toward the young couple, dropping Laura's hand in the process._

"_Chief, good morning. Good morning, Cally."_

"_Admiral"_

"_I've been thinking about what you said. A battlestar's no place to raise a family. So I'm gonna miss you chief. I wanna wish you good luck."_

"_Thank you, sir." A grin spread across Tyrol's face as the two men shook hands._

"_My best to both of you." Cally bounded over to the Admiral, excitement painted across her face._

"_You mean it? Really? Thank you."_

"_I want you guys to have at least a dozen."_

"_We'll see about that." Cally replied as she leaned in to kiss the Admiral on the cheek. _

"_Go on, you've got some packing to do." The couple ran off, clinging to each other, unable to hide their excitement. _

"_That was very nice Bill"_

"_I'm a nice guy. Now I do believe you mentioned something about breakfast?" At the mention of food, Laura's stomach gave a loud rumble. Laughing he threw and arm around her shoulder to guide her towards the market. It seems no-one wanted them to eat that morning though, as Kara came leaping up to them._

"_Admiral I'm getting married. Got a priest but I need witnesses; come on." She didn't wait for a response as she dragged the two of them down to the river where Anders was waiting with a priest. _

_The ceremony was brief, neither Starbuck nor Anders being the typical soppy romantic, they kept their vows short. Bill kept his arm around Laura the entire time, sometimes pulling her close to drop a kiss to her forehead. Laura liked this side of him. The PDA side of Bill. When the ceremony ended Kara ran up to hug them both._

"_Thank you Admiral, Madame Pres. I hope it won't be too long before it's your turn here. Sammy and I will be the witnesses if you'd like." She smirked at the older couple when they blushed and failed to respond._

"_I was also hoping to ask for a favour Admiral, think of it as a wedding present to us?" The Admiral nodded for her to continue. "I was wondering about settling here..." She trailed off as she saw Bill stiffen. _

_He glanced at Laura who offered him a supportive smile, before he turned to face his surrogate daughter once more. _

"_Consider it done." Starbuck beamed at him. Laughing she jumped onto Anders back as he carried her back to the tents. _

"_Now can we get food?" Bill laughed at Laura's whine and pulled her close as they finally went in search of breakfast._

_X_

_Laura practically inhaled her food when they eventually got some. Bill smirked at her enthusiasm. _

"_Wow, you really were hungry."_

"_Well I worked up quite an appetite last night. Oh there's Tory and Maya, I'm just gonna say goodbye to them." She kissed Bill on the cheek and ran over to where the young women sat talking. The one he assumed to be Maya was holding a baby. That must have been the baby Laura helped her adopt. He wondered why Laura had helped this one woman and made a mental note to ask her about it later._

"_Morning Admiral." Bill turned to see his son strolling toward him. _

"_You look like you had a good time"_

"_Ya, it was some party." Bill had to agree, best party he had ever been to._

"_It's been a hell of a morning too. You missed all the excitement."_

"_There's problems at home?" Lee nodded toward where Laura sat chatting and Bill resisted the urge to chastise him._

"_No, no. Good things. Kara got married, can you believe that?"_

"_What?" _

"_Ya. About an hour ago. Found herself a priest, went down by the river, and got married." The look on Lee's face spoke of more than shock and Bill wondered if he maybe he shouldn't have said anything. "Are you ok?" When he received no response he continued on._

"_I also gave her permission to muster out, along with Tyrol and Cally, and a few of the others. So it'll be up to us to make sure there's no mass exodus." Bill's words seemed lost on Lee and he wandered away from his father in the direction of Starbuck and her new husband._

"_Everything ok with Lee?" In all his distraction he hadn't noticed Laura sidle up beside him again. _

"_Just shocked about Kara is all."_

"_Aren't we all. Come on, Dualla is waiting by a raptor that's gonna take us and that son of yours back to Galactica. Did you forget we were having them for dinner?" Laura liked the domesticity they now shared. She had never shared that with anyone before. They strolled hand in hand to the waiting raptor that would bring them home. _


End file.
